Different Types of Devotees

Different Types of Devotees

In the quest of Bhakti Yoga—the cultivation of Divine Love—to love God and to be loved by Him, there are various types of devotees. Firstly, there are those who turn to God for help during distress or adversity. They are called Arta. Then there are those who express love for God for the fulfillment of some desire or for the sake of material success and prosperity. They are called Artharthi. The third type of devotee is the Jijnasu, or the enquirer. He is one who seeks knowledge, and he prays to God for the sake of acquiring wisdom to break down the barriers of ignorance. The highest type of devotee goes beyond all concepts of desire. He is called the Jnani, the wise one. He has developed intuitional wisdom and is immersed in the awareness of Divine Love at all times. His love is spontaneous, supreme and transcendental.

In Bhakti Yoga, loving God as a means towards a material or worldly gain is not discouraged, but is considered a stepping stone in the development of a more expansive form of Divine Love. In the beginning stages of Bhakti, if your prayers are answered, it confirms your devotion and intensifies your faith. As devotion advances, however, you realize that your desires may not be in harmony with your evolution. So even after intense prayer, if your desire is not fulfilled, you do not lose faith or become disillusioned.

In the Bible, King David prayed for reviving his child. He prayed for 24 hours. The next day, the child passed away and the king stopped praying, not because he turned away from God, dejected, but accepting it, humbly recognizing that the boy’s death was Divine Will. This is difficult to grasp for the majority of people. Nevertheless, aspirants who pursue the path of devotion need to reflect on this point to gain a deeper insight into Bhakti Yoga.

There is also an illustration from the East. There was a young prince in ancient times named Dhruva. He was the heir apparent, but in his childhood days, was mistreated by his stepmother, who swore that her son and not Dhruva would be the successor to the throne. Dhruva determined to prove her wrong, and practiced intense austerity and devotion. Ultimately he was blessed with a Divine Vision. God asked him what he wished for. By that time, however, Dhruva had outgrown his desire to be King and said, “Lord, I want nothing but Your Love and everlasting devotion to You.”

This story illustrates that as you advance in Bhakti Yoga, your devotion is no longer directed towards acquiring some limited object or goal, but solely toward the Divine Self.

From the book Integral Yoga: The Secret to Enlightenment by Swami Jyotirmayananda, published by the Yoga Research Foundation. © Swami Jyotirmayananda. All rights reserved.

Swamiji teaches live every morning at 8:25 Eastern. Free, and nothing to sign up for. Sit in on the morning satsang

Know someone who would like this? Send them jyotirmayananda.org/start